GHSA-x6ph-r535-3vjw
HIGHapko is vulnerable to attack through incorrect permissions in /etc/ld.so.cache and other files
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
chainguard.dev/apkoReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
It was discovered that the ld.so.cache in images generated by apko had file system permissions mode 0666:
bash-5.3# find / -type f -perm -o+w
/etc/ld.so.cache
This issue was introduced in commit 04f37e2 ("generate /etc/ld.so.cache (#1629)")(v0.27.0).
Impact
This potentially allows a local unprivileged user to add additional additional directories including dynamic libraries to the dynamic loader path. A user could exploit this by placing a malicious library in a directory they control.
Patches
This issue was addressed in apko in aedb077 ("fix: /etc/ld.so.cache file permissions (#1758)") (v0.29.5).
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Cody Harris from H2O.ai for reporting this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | chainguard.dev/apko | ≥ 0.27.0&&< 0.29.5 | 0.29.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for chainguard.dev/apko. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update chainguard.dev/apko to 0.29.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x6ph-r535-3vjw is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-x6ph-r535-3vjw is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-x6ph-r535-3vjw. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-x6ph-r535-3vjw in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-x6ph-r535-3vjw across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.